


Fuck This, I Do (Not)

by MysticMayhem



Series: BNTB [1]
Category: Underfell - Fandom, Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Underfell, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, F/F, F/M, Female Frisk, Flowey is trying to help, Flowey takes no shit, Frisk has a bit of a potty mouth, Frisk has emotional bagage, Frisk is a Sweetheart, Will these two every get along?, Wow barely a chapter in and I already made her cry, hints of romance and fluff, what is Toriel planning?
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-07
Updated: 2019-03-06
Packaged: 2019-03-22 15:08:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,020
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13766745
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MysticMayhem/pseuds/MysticMayhem
Summary: Run.The only thought that made any kind of sense.Run.The only thought that mattered.Run while you still can!Get away before it’s too late!Run before you don’t have a choice anymore!Set in the Underfell universe, follow Frisk through her journey to make it through the Underground alive.This story takes place in Underfell, so it will include things like harsh language and violence. Any other sensitive content will be marked in the tags and at the beginning of chapters. Also Frisk is depicted as female and 19 years old, please do not read if you find any of these things uncomfortable.





	1. Run

**Author's Note:**

> Well for anyone that’s read Be Not the Bride so far and wanted to know what Frisk’s journey through the Underground was like, you’re in luck. I finally caved. I realized this is a lot of content I was missing out on to help flush out my version of Frisk. And a lot you guys would miss out on reading to get to know her and why the monsters end up caring about her the way they do. So here’s the missing piece of the BNTB story!
> 
> VERY IMPORTANT EDIT: The first chapter is now the prologue from 'Be Not the Bride,' for further explanation please go BNTB and read the note that I've written to explain what's going on.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prologue: RUN

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This whole series is getting redone. This being the true beginning and 'Be Not the Bride' being the follow up.

_Run._

That was the only coherent thought passing through her mind at the moment.

_Run._

The only thought that made any kind of sense.

_Run._

The only thought that mattered.

_Run while you still can!_

_Get away before it’s too late!_

**_Run before you don’t have a choice anymore!_ **

She couldn’t stop, not for a second. Her breath coming out in heavy, wheezing pants as her lungs struggled to take in as much oxygen as they could in their pitiful attempts to keep up with her body’s exertion.

Relentlessly the girl pushed herself forward, her steps in sync with the throbbing pulse of her blood pumping through her veins. The beat of her heart pounding in her ears as she navigated her way through the underbrush, barely giving thought to the endless number of cuts in her skin and tears in her clothing from low hanging branches.

Every part of her felt as if it were on fire.

Her legs like two young saplings being burned from their roots to their trunks. Her arms like overcooked noodles; dead weights that she was sure would have been flopping in the wind behind her had they been let loose from their bent position. The stitch in her side screaming that if she went on like this something would give, something she sure as hell knew she would not be able to fix on her own.

Despite all of her wheezes, aches, and pains she refused to stop.

She refused all of her bodies protests because she knew that in the end it would all be worth it.

Dark shadows danced across the landscape as the setting sun sank further beyond the horizon. Its dazzling golden light illuminating the treetops in such a way, one would think it was a desperate plea by the heavens to stay but a few precious moments longer. Evening was fast approaching and the young woman couldn’t afford to waste even a second if she wished to reach her destination before nightfall.

Mt. Ebott.

Many a tale had been told of this particular mountain, legends telling of creatures so horrifying and dangerous that man had been left with no other choice, but to seal them away for the rest of eternity. Like all the others of her town she had grown up hearing these stories; fables meant to keep the little ones in line for fear of invoking the wrath of monsters with a taste for the flesh of naughty children.

The girl thought of this as she ran; in the back of her mind recalling long ago when she had first heard the whispers of these supposedly ‘unholy terrors.’

~}{~

_“What do you mean there’s monsters under the mountain?” asked a small girl of six years. She’d been sitting beneath an old cherry tree, comfortably nestled in its roots to make flower crowns from the fallen spring blossoms when she’d heard voices coming from the right._

_“Exactly what it means pipsqueak,” says a large boy three years her senior. Behind him stood a pair of male twins, both giggling as an angry red blush colored her pouting cheeks._

_She’d always been mild-mannered, her face rarely ever showing her true feelings. It was a trait most found odd in a child her age; many times she’d caught the envious looks adults with rowdy kids would spend her guardians. How they in turn would try and fail to suppress their own looks of smug superiority at having such a well behaved child in their midst. However a child was still just that, a child no matter how mature they seemed and could still be angered if one simply knew the right buttons to push._

_“Hey, I’m not a pipsqueak!”_

_And her height had been on of them._

_“Yeah you are!” said the twin on the right._

_“In fact you’re about the same size I hear most monsters like to eat for dinner,” laughed the one on the left._

_“They just love the tiny ones,” his brother added as he poked him in the ribs with his elbow._

_“Please,” the first boy scoffed crossing his arms. “She’s not even big enough to be a monster’s snack, let alone dinner.”_

_The three of them had laughed long and hard at that until her patience finally snapped, unable to handle anymore of their incessant taunting and screamed at them._

_“What are you even talking about!”_

_They stared at her for half a minutes before their surprised faces morphed into malicious grins, slowly coming towards her until they surrounded her._

_“Looks like we got a kid that doesn’t know the story of the mountain…”_

~}{~

_They’d each taken turns, going around in a circle, telling her how long ago evil beasts had roamed the land. Halfway through their monologue, when they’d mentioned how these demons were especially partial to misbehaving kids she’d gotten brave._

_“Guess that means unlike you, I’m safe.”_

_The satisfaction of seeing their frustration at being one-upped by a ‘pipsqueak’ only lasted a few seconds before they grabbed her. That day she had gone home covered in dirt, little bruises peppering her arms and legs as well as a black eye. Suffice to say those waiting for her had not been pleased; her attempts to explain had fallen on deaf ears and resulted in a swift smack on the rump for making up excuses. She’d learned a valuable lesson that day: sometimes it’s better to keep your mouth shut._

_She’d gone to bed that night apprehensive, fearful of whatever twisted visions her psyche had conjured within her subconscious as her head swam with the voices of her tormentors. Sleep came slowly, her eyes jumping from one corner of the room to the next as adrenaline heightened her senses. Paranoia making even the slightest of movements or the softest of sounds seem threatening as she wondered if there was a chance those jerks had been telling the truth. It felt like hours had passed before her body had finally had enough and forced her brain to settled down._

_Unfortunately it was not a peaceful rest that greeted her, but dark towering figures creeping out of the shadows from which they had been spawned. Try as she might she couldn’t get away; every turn, every step they knew which path she would take even before she did. All too soon she found herself cornered, no escape from the things that wished to harm her. Oh how they had pushed and pulled at her limbs, clawed at her skin and hair and laughed as she cried out in pain._

_All of it horrible yet the part that was most vivid had been the end. The creatures had managed to beat her until she lay at their feet and as she stared up at them, saw their faces she realized something…_

_The boys from before. It was their faces she was seeing._

_She’d woken up after that, seating upright in her cramped bed covered in a cold sweat. Looking around the room she felt an once of relief, the others were still asleep and she thanked her lucky stars she hadn’t been scared enough to scream._

_The caretakers had strict rules about noise after curfew and she did not want to see how far they could be pushed until they gave her what they called, a **real** punishment. Reluctantly she fell back onto the mattress, the sheets rumpled no doubt from her constant tossing and turning while her thin blanket lay forgotten on her lap._

_Not willing to chance another run-in with her inner demons the girl stared at the ceiling above, imagining the off-white color it sported during the day as her eyes automatically sought the familiar cracks. As she did so, her mind wandered back to her dream._

_How peculiar it was._

_Expecting monsters to be the horrible beings to haunt her dreams… only instead to find it was a band of obnoxious brutes that truly frightened her._

~}{~

Though that time had long since passed, it was a thought that had never left her.

Was a monster really as bad as it seemed if she found more to be afraid of in one of her own?

Perhaps instead of humans being the heroes of the story, they were actually the villains.

But that didn’t matter right now. Shaking her head to free her mind of distractions the young woman continued to climb. It didn’t matter if they were real or fake, friend or foe. Anything was better than going back or being found. It would be both a blow to her pride and the final nail in her coffin.

Sooner than she anticipated she reached the mountain’s peak, her pace at last slowing to an uncoordinated stumble as she moved toward the mouth of a nearby cave. Her limbs felt so heavy, so numb; goodness how she just wanted to sleep and never have to wake up. Maybe here she could finally find a place to rest, she thought desperately as she made her way inside, practically crawling on her hands and knees.

_Just a few more steps._

_Just a little bit more._

_Just a little—_

And so she fell.

Never noticing that she had walked to very edge of a gaping abyss, until the ground gave out beneath her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So yeah finally getting my shit together and fixing this. Hope everyone enjoys it.


	2. No Turning Back

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> New Game
> 
> *Start

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not much was changed in this chapter other than a few additions to Toriel's dialogue.

The power to turn back the clock…

To change the past…

To reset…

The named made it sound like what you’d do in a video game if you wanted to start over. Simply erase your progress and redo everything from the beginning.

Time travel.

A theory that fascinates the human mind with it sheer complexities and terrifies it with its consequences.

The young woman who had introduced herself as Frisk remained seated on her knees before the strange plant monster that called itself Flowey. Her brain trying to understand this new information as it rolled around in the confines of her skull. She stayed there, frozen, until a realization came to her.

_I can go back._

_I can find out what happened._

_I can see it with my own eyes._

“Frisk? Are-are you okay?” came the worried voice of Flowey as he watched the human continue to stare into space.

But the girl had long since stopped listening, only focused on one thing.

_I can go back._

_I **have** to go back._

**_I need to go back!_ **

Her heart was racing, blood pumping; it was like every part of her screamed those thoughts in unison. Then pressure. So much pressure, it was almost hard to breathe. Something was building within her heart, no farther than that, right down to her very soul.

_Is this… what determination feels like?_

Words began to fade into existence before her.

**Continue.**

**Reset**.

_It really is like a video game._

Slowly she lifted her hand towards them.

“Frisk wait! That’s--”

Then Frisk slammed her fist onto the reset button and everything went black…

~}{~

Her body awoke before her mind did.

It recognized the sensation of being on her back. As well as the ache in her limbs as her weight pressed against something flat and hard. Her eyes fluttering under heavy lids as she crossed the line between limbo and reality.

She could vaguely feel the sensation of something soft cradling her body.

Where was she? What had she been doing before…?

Her eyes shot open as she gasped for air. It took only a second to recall the memory.

She was back at the beginning. Lying on a bed of golden flowers, just like the first time.

_It actually worked._

But it wasn’t enough.

With clenched teeth Frisk dug her fingers into the soil, crushing the blooms beneath her hands as she forced herself to sit up. She felt the head rush come not a second later, her breathing heavy as black spots danced across her vision.

_Nice try…  but it’s gunna take… more than this…  to stop me._

Rather than slow down her heart beat faster, the adrenaline she’d felt before still coursing through her system. Heh, before? How was that even possible? Feeling things from a past that technically didn’t exist anymore?

_Does it even fuckin matter?_

_I’m going **back**._

Again the words appeared before her.

**Continue.**

**Reset.**

And once again she hit reset.

When she opened her eyes she was back in her lying down position over the ruined buttercups.

Her hazel eyes narrowed. _I said **go back.**_

**Reset.**

This garnered the same results.

**Reset.**

Again.

**Reset.**

And again.

**Reset.**

And again.

**Reset.**

And yet again.

**Reset.**

_Go back._

**Reset.**

_Fucking do it already._

**Reset.**

_I’m not playing jackass._

**Reset.**

_Listen to me you piece of shit!_

**Reset.**

_Why._

**Reset.**

_Won’t._

**Reset.**

_You._

**Reset.**

_Fucking._

**Reset.**

_Do._

**Reset.**

_It?_

**Reset.**

_TAKE._

**Reset.**

_ME._

**Reset.**

_BACK-_

“STOP IT!” Came a shrill voice that managed to halt the human’s fist. “FOR THE LOVE OF THE ANGEL PLEASE STOP IT! I THINK MY BRAIN IS ABOUT TO LEAK OUT OF MY EARS!”

Cautiously she turned her head to face the intruder. Not surprised to find that it was Flowey who was staring her down with a furious glare. The poor creature had popped up at the edge of the flowerbed, his leaves cradling the white disk and petals that served as his head.

“ARE YOU COMPLETELY INSANE? ” he continued to screech. “LIKE WHAT THE HELL? WHAT THE FUCKING HELL DID YOU THINK YOU’D ACCOMPLISH BY SPAMMING THE FUCKING RESET BUTTON LIKE THAT? HUH?”

His questions were answered with nothing but silence, the young woman no longer looking at him.

“DON’T YOU FUCKING IGNORE ME!” Flowey fumed. When he still received no response he dove into the earth, burrowing his way through the dirt until they were face to face. “HEY IDIOT I’M TALKING HERE! I MIGHT BE SMALL BUT THAT DOESN’T MEAN YOU CAN…” Any further words died in his throat as he took in the sight before him.

The human had gone still. Too still.

She sat there on her knees, arms limp at her sides and fingers tangled in the battlefield of fallen posies. Face forward but her features had fallen, as if weighed down by grief. And where there had once been expressive hazel, he found only puddles of mud after a rainstorm. The surge pooled in each corner then without warning, burst like a floodgate down her cheeks.

The sight was… unnerving.

He was sure it couldn’t get any worse, until her frame started shaking. The flower found himself rooted to the spot, forced to watch in alarm as the human’s short ragged breaths racked her torso.

 _This isn’t good. This isn’t normal. For anyone._ Finding his nerve Flowey slowly inched closer to the catatonic girl, “Frisk? Hey… can you hear me?”

No reaction.

He might as well have said nothing as she continued to suck air through clenched teeth. It was likely _anything_ he said would get him nothing.

“Come on you dumb human, your kind are suppose to be stronger than this.” He tried, face scrunching up as he gained momentum.

But that didn’t mean he’d give up so easily.

“I know you’re not deaf so pay attention when I’m talking to you!”

He knew what she’d been trying to do.

He knew it wouldn’t have helped.

It never did.

Not really.

“Frisk, listen to me. I know you’re upset, I’ve been there, I’ve done this.” He felt the memories push against the back of his mind. _No, no._ Thought Flowey as he shook his head. _Do **not** think about it. Not about any of it. You know where that road leads._ “I know better than anyone what it’s like to wish they could rewrite the past. But if there’s anything I’ve learned is that some things just can’t be changed.”

That last line seemed to strike some semblance of awareness. Wrenching a strange choking sound from the young woman’s throat despite her efforts. Her whole body cringed, curling inwards as if to hide from his words.

“Frisk!” Flowey tried once more.

Unfortunately that seemed to be where the girls’ period of lucidity ended.

The buttercup sighed in defeat. _Who am I kidding? No one can bounce back from something like this so easily. Not even the soulless._ His beady black eyes grew darker at that last thought.

“I can’t really blame you for losing it like this,” he told her as he slithered up her left arm. “All the same, it’s best that I don’t leave you by yourself. Last thing I need is another reset headache.” The flower mumbled as he made himself comfortable on her shoulder.

~}{~

He’d only meant to rest for a moment. Regain his strength so he could watch for any potential threats. He hadn’t counted on the young woman’s presence making him feel safe enough to let his guard down. To imagine for even a moment, nestled in a stray lock of hair; that he was home again.

It felt like hours had passed.

Then the illusion was shattered.

“Haha, my my what an interesting sight to behold.”

Flowey’s eyes shot open at hearing that familiar chortle, though he dared not move an inch. He knew all too well how she reacted to sudden movements. Instead he watched the newcomer from the corner of his eye, her form half hidden by shadow. A quick glance toward the cave ceiling confirmed that daytime on the surface had long since passed.

“For once, I’m impressed with you flower.” She said coming closer. “You’ve caught a human.”

“Stay back!” he hissed as she came into view.

“Now why in the world would I do that?” her amused tone sending shivers up his stem.

“Because if you don’t… I’ll kill the human before you even have the chance to blink.” The threat was bullshit. He knew it, she knew it and if the human was paying attention she’d know it too. That didn’t matter though; he just needed to buy some time.

“Don’t make me laugh flower,” she scoffed incredulously.

“You don’t think I will?” his voice shaky as he raised a vine.

She crossed her arms and smirked, “I know you won’t.” Then her gaze shifted to the side. “I surprised by your silence little human, do you not care that this whelp is attempting to use you as a bargaining chip?”

 _Not good. Not good. Not good!_ Flowey mentally screamed. _We are dead. We are so dead._ As he predicted the girl did not turn around, completely ignoring the other monster. Still as a statue, the only sign that she was even alive being the now steady rise and fall of her chest.

The mysterious woman narrowed her eyes. “Is your fear so great they you cannot respond? Or is this your poor attempt at bravery?”

…

“I grow tired of this. If you will not face me willingly then I will make you.” She growled taking hold of girl’s other arm and twisting her around.

The buttercup turned away, unable to watch what would happen next. _Sorry Frisk. Hopefully she makes it quick._

“Get the fuck off me!”

The sudden snarl gave them both pause.

“So you _can_ speak,” the monster noted, one brow raised.

“You’re damn right I can. Now fucking let go!” The human retorted, voice breaking as she tried to wrestle her arm free.

“And such vulgar language at that.”

“Who the hell even are you?” Frisk demanded as she continued to struggle in her captor’s iron grip. Paying no heed to Flowey’s pleas to stop.

“Oh yes, how rude of me.” Casually tossing the young woman to the side the monster stood to her full height. “I am Toriel caretaker of the Ruins.”

Picking herself up Frisk blinked her dry eyes and looked up into the face of her assailant. Toriel was like nothing she had ever seen before. First of all she was incredibly tall, no doubt eight feet or so. As well as wide, her shoulder width easily twice her own. Second, she was a goat. An actual bipedal goat with bear like hands and feet dressed in black and white robes that were tattered at the edges.

 _It’s official, I must be in Hell._ Her hands fumbled behind her, her body preparing to throw itself as far away from this would-be demon at a moments notice.

“Clamming up again so soon?” Toriel sneered with her hands on her hips. “I haven’t goat your tongue have I?” The smug grin dropping from her muzzle the instant the words left her lips.

All three of them blinked. “Did you-Did you just tell a—”

“No,” the goat stated firmly. “That was a slip of the tongue I assure you.” Her paws clenched and her posture went rigid. “Nevertheless you have more important things to concern yourself with. Like what I’m going to do with both of you.”

Swallowing thickly the young woman placed her left hand protectively over the shaking flower on her shoulder. “And what _will_ you do?”

“I have yet to decide,” the caretaker smiled showing off her razor sharp teeth. “It’s been quite some time since I last had a human in my midst.”

She took a step forward, her movements slow and calculated. Completely calm as she pinned them down with a blood colored stare.

“Such a special occasion indeed,” she said completing her first lap around them. “What to do, what to do?”

The pair did nothing as Toriel circled them.

“I could simply kill you, hmm but where’s the fun in that?” She paused tapping her chin with a furry digit.

The girl shifted her weight ever so slightly, fighting her impulse to cower. “Whatever sick game you have planned I won’t let you touch Flowey.”

_My this child is so peculiar, protecting a pitiful creature like this one._

“How idiotically noble, especially since I could easily end you both right now,” she laughed. “But… now that I think about it, since this is such a rare occasion and I’m in a fairly pleasant mood I’ll give you a chance. A challenge if you will, to see if you deserve to keep your life.”

Licking her dry lips Frisk looked to Flowey then Toriel. “What kind of challenge?” She kept her eyes trained on the goat creature, searching for any tick or tells that could be used for later.

The caretaker’s smirk from earlier was back at full force, equally as menacing yet also strangely playful. “If you can make it through these catacombs all the way to my home at the very end of the Ruins, then I along with all of the other denizens, shall leave you be. Should you fail, well you can guess what that entails.”

The pair shuddered at the implications.

“So my child, do we have a deal?” one large furry paw extended for her to shake.

But did they really have a choice?

“Deal,” said Frisk as she accepted Toriel’s hand.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Of dear, will Frisk be able to complete this task?


	3. Mission: Survive

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prepare the Tutorial

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well this only took a whole SIX MONTHs to finish this and I hate myself for that. It was a weird mix of procrastination, doing schoolwork and just plain frustration with how the chapter was turning out. Nevertheless I owe myself and you guys an update. I’m pleased to say I’m happy with the result and I hope you will be too.
> 
> Side Note: There are several pieces of dialogue that are in French, so for your convenience here are the translations: 
> 
> Putain d’enfer! – Fucking hell!  
> Putain de fleur folle! – Fucking crazy flower!  
> Quoi dans le monde?” – What in the world?

“HAVE YOU _COMPLETELY_ LOST YOUR MIND?!” Flowey screamed in Frisk’s ear. He didn’t hold back, taking his chance the instant he was sure the caretaker was out of earshot.

“Putain d’enfer!” she yelled leaning as far away from him as possible. Well as far as she could get with the plant coiled around her arm. “I’m right here you don’t hafta shout!”

“Oh ya sure? CAUSE IT SEEMS LIKE THE ONLY WAY TO GET YOU TO LISTEN!”

“Fuck!” She winced, both from the volume and the tightness in her cheeks. With the immediate danger now passed and the adrenaline slipping away all of her aches and pain were coming back with a vengeance.

“This is great. It’s just freaking dandy. I knew you humans were reckless but not this suicidal!”

“Excuse you?” Both hands clenched of their own accord, his tone of voice sparking something familiar and unpleasant inside her.

Jaw set the buttercup leaned in, extending his stem until they were nose to nose. “Do you have any idea what you’ve done?”

“No, enlighten me.” The words coated in defiance, leaving half of her surprised at how easily the challenge came.

The vines around her bicep tightened.

“You made a deal with TORIEL,” he hissed. As if that should have explained everything.

“So we’ve established.” She said, never breaking eye contact as she wiped her face with the heel of her right hand. “Anything else?”

Flowey not knowing what else to do roared in frustration, yanking on his petals so hard it was a wonder he hadn’t torn them off.

The human however didn’t bother to pay him any mind. Choosing instead to pick herself up from the hard ground, releasing a few pain filled grunts as she did so.

“Don’t you get it?” he asked flailing the leaves he used as hands.

Again Frisk ignored the question in favor of rolling her shoulders. Still feeling the tension and pain in her muscles from both her fall and her earlier catatonia.

“She’s going to KILL US!” His frame shaking, from anger or fear he wasn’t sure, but he couldn’t stop. She didn’t get it. And she _NEEDED_ to get it or they won’t make it very far. “Can you _please_ act like you give a shit for two minutes.”

Frisk stilled, her hair bristling. “I DO CARE!” Anger blazing from the depths of hazel irises. “Believe it or not I don’t wanna get axed off again just as much as you do.”

“Then why the HELL would you agree to play games with someone like her?!”

“And what, pray tell, would you have done instead?” her tone incredulous.

The flower pulled back and grimaced. He didn’t have an answer to that. “I don’t _know_. Just, _something_ … anything but that!”

“Would you rather I reset _again_?”

He visibly winced, “No, but… ”

“But nothing. We were fucked either way,” she said firmly.

He made no further effort to dispute her.

For a while Frisk just stood there, hands balled into fists and chest tight as her heart hammered against her ribs. She didn’t like this situation anymore than he did; that woman, that “monster” was not to be underestimated. She understood his concern and she’d be lying if she said Toriel’s introduction hadn’t left her a bit rattled. The way she had stalked them with the cold detachment of predator, the glee in her voice at the prospect of toying with them like playthings…

With a deep breath the young woman began to hobble her way to the next room. She reached the threshold and paused, noting that it was exactly the same as when she’d first stumbled through, minus the froggit.

She resisted the urge to lift a hand to her sternum.

The entire cavern seemed to be made of a deep purple stone, the walls lined in clean-cut bricks of the same material. Across from them stood a double staircase with a large pile of red leaves between them and at the center of the room a trail of those same leaves made into a large square.

 _Is this supposed to be the monster version of a pentagram?_ She allowed the corner of her mouth to perk up. _All things considered that’d be the least bizarre thing I’ve seen so far._

“So is Toriel into the occult shit or..." she let the statement hang as she took in the state of her companion. Flowey had gone rigid, his head bent forward as he stared at something in the distance.

Curious Frisk followed his gaze, wondering what it was about the leaves that captured his complete attention. That’s when she noticed it, a strange golden light right at the edge of the pile.

With a furrowed brow she looked again to the buttercup for some kind of explanation, but he only nodded in the light’s direction. Taking that as a sign that it was both safe and probably important she made her way over to it. On shaky knees the young woman lowered herself to the ground, mesmerized by what appeared to be an actual star.

“Beautiful,” she whispered, her left hand already reaching out to touch it.

The moment she did she felt the pressure. The same pressure she’d experienced when she’d forced the world to reset. Except this time she also felt heat, an intense numbing sensation that was akin to grasping an open flame. Yet there was no pain. Instead she felt the fire crawl up her fingers, passed her arm until it engulfed her completely.

**_*The shadow of the Ruins looms above, filling you with determination._ **

Then it was over.

Frisk gasped as she pulled her arm back. Air rushing back into her empty lungs, when had she stopped breathing?

“Congratulations, you’ve made your first save.”

She blinked. “... You're kidding?"

"Nope." He responded in a bland tone.

She tapped the ground with her fingers. “More video game logic then?”

“Basically,” Flowey hummed. “On the chase that you die again we’ll end up back here instead of the flowerbed.”

“Lovely,” Frisk sighed as she got to her feet, surprised when she didn't feel the weight of her earlier fatigue. In fact her whole body felt lighter, even the aches in her shoulders had faded.

"Any recent wounds will also heal up, even replenish your energy if you’re lucky."

“Nice. Very nice.” The human grinned as she flexed her fingers, “We may make it out of here yet. 

“You’re awfully optimistic for someone that’s already died once.” Said the flower, his head tilted to the right as he regarded her.

Her body locked and her shoulders tensed at the reminder of her untimely demise. Any trace of a smile wiped from her face as she licked her lips in thought. "I'm trying not to think about it. Come on, we better not dawdle or Toriel'll have our heads," she sighed patting the side of his head with her left hand. Neither of them felt it necessary to add ‘literally’ to the statement.

Dry earth crunched under each step of the human's boots as the pair continued on their way to the next room. This one contained only a series of floor switches and a lever mounted right beside a sealed door. Like before Flowey said nothing, choosing instead to point his leafy hand at a faded plaque on the far wall and like before Frisk obeyed.

*Only the fearless may proceed.

*Brave ones, foolish ones.

*Both not walk the middle road.

_A riddle?_

~*~

 _“Then let the game begin.” Toriel smiled as she gave the human a small shove, chuckling as the younger woman fell back on her rear._ Oh you poor trusting little sparrow, how long will you last?

_“A piece of advice, do be sure to watch your step and keep your eyes open. You never know when you’ll come across something… puzzling.” Her tone quiet and thoughtful as she turned away and disappeared into the darkness. The huff she made under her breath not sounding quite as irritated as it should have._

~*~

_Puzzles. Okay I can deal with puzzles._

"Seems simple enough." Said Frisk as she stepped on the four outer switches.

“The only thing in here’s a door,” her hand grasped the lever. “I mean what’s the worst that could happen if you get it wrong—”

In the span of a few seconds she was on the ground.

Her right shoulder and hip hissed in pain under her weight as she tired to get up. But her legs refused to cooperate, bond together by something increasingly familiar. “Putain de fleur folle!”

She rolled onto her back, about to wring his stem when she caught sight of the swinging blade whooshing over their heads. And right through the spot where she had been standing.

“That.”

“What?”

“That is what happens when you fuck up,” said Flowey. His face grim as he motioned with his eyes to another of his vines pressing one the middle switches. They watched the blade swing once, twice then back into its hidden sheath in the wall.

“... Duly noted.”

 _I’m in a cartoon._ The human fell back and groaned as she threw her free arm over her eyes. _I’m in a fucking cartoon. I even said ‘what’s the worst that could happen?’ What am I a fucking idiot?!_

It honestly couldn’t get anymore surreal than this. The fact that there were even creatures that lived down here, monsters of all things, would have left anyone reeling. And boy oh boy Frisk was reeling. God this was a nightmare.

“What, giving up already?” he asked, staring down at her.

“Fuck no.” Frisk answered as she lifted her arm to peek at him. “I’m just, getting my bearings. The old goat wasn’t kidding when she said we had to watch our step.” She let the arm fall back as she sat up and frowned. “Thanks for the near death experience by the way.”

Flowey shrugged, “You asked, I answered.”

At that she responded in the most appropriate way possible: a facepalm. “This is gunna be a long day.”

~

It turned out their little run-in with the pendulum trap was just a taste of what else this twisted labyrinth had to offer. From here the Ruins seemed to stretch out into proper corridors instead of rooms, and it made the human antsy. Long halls meant you were cornered on two sides, with few places to run and even fewer to hide.

_It'd be so easy for something to pop out and…_

_No. Focus and look for a clue._

The second Frisk saw it she went straight for the plaque.

*Stay on the path.

_Wow, so helpful._

This obstacle came in the form of another lever puzzle, this time controlling a set of spikes jutting from the floor and blocking their path. Not too difficult or dangerous. Unless you took into account that the second lever was rigged to electrocute anyone who didn’t pulled it seconds after the first. A penalty made twice as harmful thanks to water that had spilled over from the indoor aqueducts. Quick reflexes had spared her the brunt of the damage, though it still left her with a nasty two-degree burn across her right palm.

_Conniving motherfuckers._

~

The training area beyond that proved to be quite useful; it was here that Flowey had her practice what the monsters called ‘FIGHTING.’ According to him, this form of combat had been developed by his kind near the very beginning. An honor system for settling disputes that gave each side a ‘fighting’ chance. One of the few that was still in practice, or so he said.

…

***You encounter the Dummy.**

***FIGHT *ACT *ITEM *MERCY**

**FRISK                LV1            HP 30/30**

“Reseting, saving and now this?” She marveled at the four buttons floating before her. “Forget cartoons, I’m in a dungeon crawler!”

“I guess you’d see it that way,” Flowey mused from his place by the doorway. “For us it’s just how we do things.”

“Oh, you mean like home security is a series of death traps?” Frisk said crossing her arms.

“Puzzles.” He corrected, his little black eyes falling shut as he spoke. “Ancient fusions of diversions and door keys. I can’t explain why, but we’ve always been fascinated by them.”

She didn’t know what to say to that. Regardless she filed the information away for later, the more you know and all that.

For now she would focus on the task at hand. It was obvious the training dummy had seen better days. An oddly shaped lump of a thing she was sure had been on the receiving end of many a fierce punch. Ripped in several places with strands of stuffing spilling out of the holes like loose intestines. The last user had _not_ been gentle.

“So I just… talk to it?”

“You could,” he shrugged, “but I doubt it’d be a tactic that’d do you much good in a real fight.”

She didn’t disagree; hell it’d be quite hypocritical if she did. Though it left her curious, if FIGHT was all you needed why was ACT also an option?

 _Well, only one way to find out._ New text appearing as she laid her palm on the ACT button.

***Dummy**

***Check     *Talk**

“Let’s see what this does.” **[*Check]**

***DUMMY ATK - 0     DEF - 0**

*** Thread and cotton sewn together. It only wishes that life was better.**

“Quoi dans le monde?” The human mumbled, brow furrowed as she reread the last sentence. “Flowey why am I reading depressing poetry?”

“That’s what’s called performing a ‘check,’” he responded with the practiced easy of a teacher. “Monsters use their souls for just about everything and during fights our souls are brought closer to the surface. ‘Checking’ a monster is basically you reading whatever their soul is projecting. You can actually learn a lot about an enemy this way so that’s a good habit to get into.”

“Wow you get tips?” The young woman brightened, placing her hands on her hips as a smile crept over her features. “Well if that’s the case fighting an actual monster shouldn’t be—wait a minute.” She paused. “Flowey?”

“Yeah?”

“Are monsters the only ones that you perform a check on?”

“Monsters, humans, anything that has the aptitude for thought really.” He said casually crossing one leaf over his stem as he leaned his cheek against the other. _Myself included since I don’t have a soul._

“The fu—are you saying that dummy’s alive?!” Her mouth agape as she jabbed a finger in its direction.

“Well _technically_ it’s not the _dummy_ that’s alive.”

“ _Dude_.”

“It’s more the ghost that’s possessing it.”

_“ **Dude**!”_

“What? What’s the problem now?” He yelled throwing both leaves in the air.

“First it was monsters now it’s some paranormal shit?!” Her hair once again beginning to stand on end.

Flowey frowned, not at all fazed by the human’s wild hand waving. “Hey ghosts _are_ monsters, they’re just a subspecies.”

Frisk growled as she ran both hands through her brown locks. “You know what, it’s fine. It doesn’t matter. Let’s just get back to business.”

With a deep breath she looked through her options, the hairs on the back of her neck tingling under the dummy’s scrutiny.

**[*Talk]**

“Hey, I’m sorry about uh… that. I didn’t mean to be rude.”

***It doesn’t seem much for conversation.**

_I honestly don’t know what I was expecting. It hasn’t attacked or done anything… Can it even move?_

**[*Talk]**

“So I’ve never meet a ghost before, that’s pretty cool. You… ever met a human?”

***DUMMY looks like it’s about to fall over. FLOWEY is judging you.**

“You got something to say dill weed?” Shooting him a glare.

“ _No_ , but I _am_ wondering why you’re trying to shoot the breeze instead of learning how to fight.”

“Thanks for the concern coach but I’ve already done basic and how is beating the crap out of someone that obviously can’t move gunna help me?”

The little plant monster leaned forward, stretching his stem until he was in her face for the second time. “ **You say that as if your soul hasn’t already shattered once before.** ”

Any retort she might have had was crushed under the vice like grip of fear around her heart. _Again with the reminder._

The unnatural way his mouth and face seemed to twist and change at his leisure only added to her unease.

He knew what she was seeing, what he was doing without even realizing. An instability. A side effect of the experiment that made him what he was. He’d never be very strong, but it served as a decent defense mechanism.

Sensing he now had her attention he pulled back. “Believe me, real fights only get worse. At least here you have the chance to figure out what’s what without risking HP.”

He had a point. Her heart ached as she realized, it was the lesson of the bed. Had it really been long enough to forget? Dad would have been ashamed.

Embarrassment and sadness then gave way to guilt. She’d do well to remember that he didn’t need to be doing this. True Toriel had threatened them both, but it was Frisk that had made the deal with her. Fuck, the little guy could have bolted the instant she started freaking the fuck out and bypassed the beldam altogether. For whatever reason he’d decided to stick around and for that she owned him this much.

“Understood Mister Flowey, sir. I need to learn,” straightening her stance and shooting him a mock salute. “But I’m not gunna be needlessly cruel if I don’t have to.

“We can work with that.” He nodded before drawing back. “Now finish this.”

“Tell me what to do chief,” she said hazel orbs locking with the dummy’s one black button.

“If you want to end a fight peacefully you choose the mercy option. From there you can either spare your opponent or flee the battle altogether.”

She nodded.

**[*Spare]**

***YOU WON!**

***You earned 0 XP and 0 gold.**

The dummy remained unchanged, though given its previous behavior that wasn’t much of a shock. If not a bit of a let down for the human’s first experience with a real ghost.

“That it?”

“Depends,” he said as she walked over to him and offered her arm. “Anything else you wanna know before we move on?”

“You mention something about HP, that what I think is that?”

“Not quite. It’s an acronym for hit points. Hit points are how much damage your soul can take before it shatters.”

“So when the froggit killed me…”

“It was because it managed a direct hit on your soul. Yes.” He said readjusting himself on his new perch. “Although, if you’d been prepared for it you would have come out with more minimal damage.”

“How so?”

“As I’ve said, for monsters the soul is everything. And thus so is your intention.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Well, thanks for the practice… Dummy.” Part of her felt stupid for waving goodbye; its whole lack of participation making her think Flowey had been pulling a prank. And yet she couldn’t deny feeling a third presence in room with them, or the aura of melancholy that seemed to permeate from it. Nevertheless they had done what they need, it was time to move on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have no idea when the next update will be out, I honestly didn't expect to have it out this week but I'm on break from school right now and things have been surprisingly productive. Did you like Frisk and Flowey's interactions? Feel free to comment and let me know how this turned, bye!


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